Ski tow rope handle



Feb. 21, 1967 .J. H. BYRNE ETAL 3,304,902

SKI TOW ROPE HANDLE Filed June 2, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

Feb. 21, 1967 H, BYRNE T 3,304,902

. SKI TOW ROPE HANDLE Filed June 2, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n We TORS K I BY 544/4 H4/V5ZA/ United StatesPatent O 3,304,902 SKI TOW ROPE HANDLE James H. Byrne, Box 82, Bomoseen Vt. 05732, and Emil Hansen, 141 Warburton Ave., Yonkers, NY. 10701 Filed June 2, 1965. Ser. No. 460,806 4 Claims. (Cl. 115-6.1)

The present invention relates to a tow rope handle for use in water skiing that is constructed with a release mechanism that provides safety and versatility in use as well as tending to reduce accidents, and more particularly the invention relates to a safer water ski tow rope handle which has a mechanism for self-detachment partly upon contact with the water as a result of being dropped by the skier, and thereby rendering the handle harmless and eliminating the conventional hazards that normally encounter the skier when falling or when falling accidentally.

Many novice water skiers may attempt certain holds on a water ski tow rope handle which are usually undertaken by experienced skiers only, and thereby endangering the life and limb of such novice skiers with the danger of being pulled underwater when the tow rope becomes entangled about some part of their body. This is a significantly acute hazard when more than one skier is being pulled.

An object of the invention is that when the handle becomes partly detached, it will enable one to pull said rope into the boat with much more ease as compared with the conventional type tow rope handle. This is especially true when theboat is in motion.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved water ski tow rope handle that is provided with a simplified safety factor, not dependent upon human action, and which disengages from the rope upon contact of the handle with the water.

The present invention also provides the feature of eliminating a loop in the tow rope to thereby prevent entanglement of the water skier with the tow rope handle.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate presetting of ropes for skiers of different Weights and characteristics and thereby reduce any margin for human error in assembly of the rope handle with the rope, and also provide a releasabe hitch as a part of the tow rope handle to substantiallv eliminate human error as a factor in injury to life and limb.

A further feature of the invention provides for the improved ski rope handle to disengage only partly and always remain otherwise in substantially coaxial alignment with the entire ski rope.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon full consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a generally perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view, a portion thereof being shown in broken away, cross-section showing the component construction of the tow rope handle shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the tow rope handle shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken essentially along lines 44 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 5 shows a detailed perspective view of the catch member for the tow rope handle.

Referring now to the drawings, there is a ski tow rope shown which terminates in a knot 12 which engages one end of a ski tow rope handle bar 14. The knot 12 is held within an aperture 16, and the rope 10 passes through an aperture 18 of the end of the tow rope handle 14. At the other end of the tow rope handle 14, there is 3,304,902 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 a pivot 20 that provides a pivoted mounting for a pivoted handle 22 therefrom, said handle being in alignment with the bar 14, as shown in FIGURES l-4, the pivoted handle being shown biased in the axial or extended position by a spring 24 which is disposed in an aperture 26 at a common end thereto of the bar 14. Thus the handle 22 is maintained in the extended or axially aligned position with the bar 14 by means of the spring 24 biasing and engaging with the handle 22 at a point 28, so that the handle 22 is biased to rotate in a direction opposite to the arrow 30 shown in FIGURE 2, and is maintained in the position shown since the projecton or hook engaging portion 32 rests against the end of the proximate contacting portion 34 of the bar 14.

The ski tow rope 10 is provided with an auxiliary rope or line 38 connected to the ski tow rope 10 at a connection point 40, and having a terminating end 42 which is tied to a terminal element 44 which is provided with a hook end means 46. The hook end means 46 is shown in FIGURE 5 to be provided with a hook engaging portion provided with a roller 48. The roller 48 is adapted to interfit with the hook 32 of the handle 22, as shown in FIGURE 2, so that as the hook 32 engages the roller 48, the terminal element 44 and the line is maintained in a towing relation with the handle bar 14, as shown.

In order to provide safety and in order to disengage the auxiliary line 40 and the terminal element 44 from the handle 14, when the skier is about to lose his balance, for example, then the handle 22 comes into surface contact with the water (not shown) when the bar 14 is dropped so that the water when the tow rope 10 is being pulled, displaces the handle 22 so that it is displaced in the manner shown by the arrow 30 of FIGURE 2. In this way, the hook-engaging portion 46 and roller 48 become disengaged from the hook 3'2 and the surface 34,

' so that the handle bar 14 is released from the terminal element 44, and as the rope is further towed through the water, the handle bar 14 is towed in substantially axial alignment with the tow rope 10. Thus the handle 22 be comes detached from the terminal end 44 of the auxiliary line 40, and the tow rope is not a cumbersome means to endanger the skier, and also the detached assembly of terminal end 44 and the handle bar 14 is towed through the water with more ease and may be retrieved by a moving boat with facility. This is particularly evident when the boat is underway and one seeks to reel in the tow line 10.

Additional embodiments of the invention in this specification will occur to others and therefore it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited only by the appended claims and not by the embodiment described hereinabove. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following clams in determining the full scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A water ski tow rope handle comprising a handle bar having one end thereof connected to a tow rope, a pivoted handle disposed at the end distal from said rope end, said handle having a significant surface adapted for contact with the water surface so that as the handle may be towed through the water, the handle is deflected upon impact with the water surface, a bias means to normally position the pivoted handle in alignment with said handle bar, an auxiliary line connected to said tow rope and having a hook engaging portion, said pivoted handle having a hook means for retaining said hook engaging portion when said handle is in alignment and for releasing said hook engaging portion upon said handle being deflected by said water surface.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein a roller comprises said hook engaging portion.

3. A water ski tow rope handle comprising a handle 3 bar to one end of which a tow rope is connected, a pivoted handle at the end thereof distal from said rope end, said handle having a significant surface for contacting the water surface and adapted to being deflected upon impact with said water surface, a bias means to normally position the pivoted handle in alignment with said handle bar, an auxiliary line connected to said tow rope and having a hook engaging portion, said handle having a hook means for retaining said hook engaging portion when said handle is in alignment therewith and for releasing said hook engaging portion upon said handle being deflected by said water surface, said bias means comprising a spring under compression and disposed within an aperture at said distal end of said handle bar.

4. The invention according to claim 3 wherein said handle bar upon release from said hook engaging portion is adapted to be towed in substantially coaxial alignment with said tow rope when moving through the water.

No references cited.

10 MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A WATER SKI TOW ROPE HANDLE COMPRISING A HANDLE BAR HAVING ONE END THEREOF CONNECTED TO A TOW ROPE, A PIVOTED HANDLE DISPOSED AT THE END DISTAL FROM SAID ROPE END, SAID HANDLE HAVING A SIGNIFICANT SURFACE ADAPTED FOR CONTACT WITH THE WATER SURFACE SO THAT AS THE HANDLE MAY BE TOWED THROUGH THE WATER, THE HANDLE IS DEFLECTED UPON IMPACT WITH THE WATER SURFACE, A BIAS MEANS TO NORMALLY POSITION THE PIVOTED HANDLE IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID HANDLE BAR, AN AUXILIARY LINE CONNECTED TO SAID TOW ROPE AND HAVING A HOOK ENGAGING PORTION, SAID PIVOTED HANDLE HAVING A HOOK MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID HOOK ENGAGING PORTION WHEN SAID HANDLE IS IN ALIGNMENT AND FOR RELEASING SAID HOOK ENGAGING PORTION UPON SAID HANDLE BEING DEFLECTED BY SAID WATER SURFACE. 